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T O P I C R E V I E W

Jim Behling

Does anyone know where there is a diagram of the Apollo status board from the Launch Control Center (LCC) at Kennedy Space Center that lists the items on it?

ilbasso

The status board shows up in a few photos of the Firing Room from various missions, such as photo 108-KSC-69PC-605 of the Apollo 12 CDDT. There were a few changes from mission to mission, but the status events corresponded to the major events of the entire test sequence.

This is a photo of the reproduction of the Status Board from the Apollo 8 Firing Room Exhibit at the Apollo-Saturn Visitors Center at KSC. It's essentially identical to the ones from the actual Firing Rooms. I compared it to the shot mentioned above of the Apollo 12 status board, and the only difference is that this version is missing the indicator "S-IVB CUTOFF" in the rightmost column under the indicator "S-IVB ENGINE START."

Also, you can find a diagram in the Saturn V Flight Manual. You can download a copy from the NASA NTRS site for SA-507. Page 8-21 Fig 8-18

Andy Anderson

...since the copy on the NASA site is not all that great, this might be better.

Same figure from Apollo 13 Saturn V Flight Manual SA 508, although looking at some of the launch photos such as the one Jonathan has posted, it may be representative of some earlier time in the program.

Headshot

Okay, I guess I am going to show my ignorance.

On the diagram, it shows several indicators for each of the Saturn V's three stages: LOX Tank Pressurized, Fuel or LH2 Tank Pressurized, and Propellants Pressurized.

I thought the fuel and oxidizer ARE the propellants. What did I miss?

ilbasso

No ignorance! You are correct that they are the propellants.

The "Fuel Tanks Pressurized" indication is what was referred to as an "interlock" in the countdown sequence. The individual tanks pressurized, and when all had reached the required pressure, it then lit the "Fuel Tanks Pressurized" indicator. When that light was lit, it corresponded to an energized circuit into the launch sequencer. If that circuit was not energized at the required time in the countdown, the sequencer initiated a "hold" and the countdown stopped.

On Apollo 17, the launch sequencer went into a hold when there was trouble pressurizing one tank. They had to reconfigure the launch sequencer to accept a manual indication that the tank was pressurized in order for the delayed countdown to go past that point in the sequence.

Other examples of interlocks that you'll hear Jack King call out during the countdown are things such as "guidance is internal", "the vehicle is on internal power," "All engines running," etc.

Headshot

Many thanks for the explanation.

On another note, were there such status boards for the Titan II Gemini Launch vehicle and the Atlas-Agena? Can anyone direct me to photos or diagrams of these boards?

Jim Behling

There were no such boards for other launch vehicles, including Saturn I and IB (excluding those flown from LC-39). The test/launch conductor's console would have some status lights (1 | 2).

Now they are just one of many data displays available on monitors in the ELV launch control/mission director/LV data centers. That is what George Diller is looking at when he says "Green Board" during terminal count.

Headshot

Thanks for the info Jim. The Gemini Vehicle Test Console has exactly the information that I need for my book about Gemini VIII.

Is there anyone who can take clear shots of each of the three display panels of the Gemini Vehcile Test Console at the Air Force and Space Museum for me? (Got three kids in college, so I won't be travelling to the Cape anytime in the near future!) I would like to use the information from the displays and indicator lights for my narrative about Gemini VIII's launch preparations.

Headshot

Although this is still off-topic from the orginal post, I feel the need to point out that the right hand display of the Gemini Test Console on exhibit at the Air Force and Space Museum, No 2. in Jim's post above, does not resemble the one shown on page 72 of Robert L. Adcock's book "Two Into The Blue." Apparently even the Test Console for the venerable Titan II underwent changes.

ilbasso

I was at the CCAFS museum last week and got some photos for you. I'll email them under separate cover.

spacescribe

Where exactly was this status board in the firing room? Did the space shuttle keep this system?